All-Star Doing It All Over

[chyeeaaa69]

For those that have been in cheer for a while and have seen all the drama, emotional and physical toll on our kids, heartache etc...if you knew then what you know now would you still have allowed your kids to get into all-star cheer?

Saying this as an athlete, I probably would have never started the sport. The mentality and attitude of such a huge percentage of the industry's best (ie level 5/Worlds teams) is disgusting to me and embarrassing. It's a large part of the reason I've considered ending my ties with the sport now. I guess even at 20 I'm starting to get over all the petty teenagers, the entitlement, the cockiness, all of that.
On the flip side of it, the feeling of taking the mat, of winning, of accomplishing new skills, that's what would make me want to do it again, but I'd definitely do it differently. I'd never let myself get to the way I am now, with minimal skills, overweight, etc., as a result of not being able to be a competitive cheerleader for a few years. I'd use that as motivation. I think it might make my experience slightly better right now if I was able to compete the skills I'd like to have been competing by now.

 

[cupieqt]

I understand this, since Im 20 and sometimes I feel like Im 35, but some of the happiest moments of my entire life were when I was in the gym 6 days a week rain/shine/or broken bone. I dont think any pain I ever feel because of it could ever overshadow the joy it brought me.

Aww you said 35 like it was old
You just ruined my life. This is the second time today my life has been ruined!

 

[Abcdefg]

Considering i'm an athlete i have a different perspective. I started out as a gymnast when i was 3. so the physical toll on my body is inevitable but if i had the choice to re do it over again(even though its not over) I would definitely put my self through it again, because it comes to the point where you love a sport so much the aftermath doesn't matter. it may be a bad way to look at it but the sport is worth it even if it has some things in the system that REALLY need to change.

 

[Abcdefg]

Aww you said 35 like it was old
You just ruined my life. This is the second time today my life has been ruined!

i have a person on my team that is 36 its okay.

 

[cupieqt]

i have a person on my team that is 36 its okay.

I did an open all star team back in 2000 with two 36 year olds. One needed a hip replacement after that season. Whomp

 

[Abcdefg]

I did an open all star team back in 2000 with two 36 year olds. One needed a hip replacement after that season. Whomp

at 36 ill need a wheelchair there will be no holding of anyone :deadhorse:

 

[cupieqt]

at 36 ill need a wheelchair there will be no holding of anyone :deadhorse:

I've always told my athletes that I will be coaching when I'm 80 (there's no retirement plan) so I'll just be riding around the gym on a rascal poking them in the butt with my cane yelling at them to squeeze their tush. Idk if that's sad or funny.

 

[Jettplane_JB]

I've always told my athletes that I will be coaching when I'm 80 (there's no retirement plan) so I'll just be riding around the gym on a rascal poking them in the butt with my cane yelling at them to squeeze their tush. Idk if that's sad or funny.

That will totally be me in about 50 years lol

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[tumbleyoda]

I've always told my athletes that I will be coaching when I'm 80 (there's no retirement plan) so I'll just be riding around the gym on a rascal poking them in the butt with my cane yelling at them to squeeze their tush. Idk if that's sad or funny.

I have been told I will never be allowed to retire. That is a scary thought as I turn 50 next month. The kids joke that I will be spotting triple fulls and double backs with my cane.....lol.

 

[mollymags]

I would absolutely go back and do it all over again. I started at 14 and I never went to Worlds, NCA, Cheersport, etc, was never a level 5 (or close to it), and I was always on a team that fell in the middle of the pack but I don't think I would change the experience I had at all. I went from being shy and self conscious (fueled mostly by a total lack of confidence) to being outgoing, happier, and having the confidence to stand up for myself and what I believed in. I learned to win and lose with grace, I learned teamwork, I learned how to step back and look at the big picture of progress instead of focusing on the end result (1st place or last place).

I have a full time, big kid job in the industry and I coach as well. Yes, SOME parts of the industry are starting to take a turn for the worst, but there are so many gyms, coaches, and industry professionals that are not swaying that way. The mega gyms, the crazy uniforms, the bogus things that happen at some events- I honestly do not believe that this makes up the majority of the industry, and that these are just the things that stick out and make us need to chatter about them. There are plenty of good things happening in the industry still, there are good people wanting to make positive steps, small gyms full of happy kids and parents. I would put a child of mine in cheerleading someday, but keep them in the part of the industry I believe in. Hopefully more and more people stay on that side and make the industry better in the long run.

I work in this industry because I love it, I'm passionate about it, I want kids to have the same wonderful experience I had. There are some negatives, days I want to pull my hair out. But, there are days when I get a note from a kid I coach that says "thank you, I never knew I could make it this far in cheerleading", or I run an event and see coaches and kids absolutely ecstatic about how their day went. Those days make every moment I've spent in this industry worth it.

 

[FightTilTheEnd]

First off, I'd like to say how close to home this thread is. I'm currently a super senior and struggling with the fact that this is my final season. While I am enjoying it, I can't help but keep in mind that everything is a last for me. Last team placement, last choreography sessions, last first time hearing our music, last first competition where I have to help everyone with their hair, etc. It's just strange to think that I've been at this since about 2000 and it's finally coming to an end. With that in mind, I've been thinking about this thread, and sort of reminiscing my allstar career.

I don't mean to be cliché but I can honestly say that I wouldn't be who I am today without cheerleading. I've built friendships with people in the beginning that I'm still friends with to this day. A majority of all of my fun stories from my childhood are somehow based around cheer. I struggled for a long time with my tumbling and when I finally took off with tumbling so did my confidence. It helped me so much in almost every aspect of my life at that point in time. I wasn't confident at all until then and I can thank cheerleading for helping me with that. The one thing I feel like I should say, but may be viewed as a bit cocky, is the feeling of winning a big competition. I wish that every athlete could experience winning NCA because there is no other feeling like that for me. It makes you realize the bond that you have with your team, how much all of your hardwork as paid off, and you truly feel accomplished in the moment that you step into the jacket room. Very few things compare to that. The bond between me and my teammates, and the faith that I place in them and my coaches is something that I have really valued. The tumbling issue also showed me how much hardwork and dedication can get you. Even though I was never an impressive tumbler, I truly loved it.

That's what makes it difficult when you finally get to the end; your love for the sport. I can look back at the last 13 years and say that I've enjoyed every year. There were a few years that felt awful at the time but they weren't that bad. You just have to learn to take the bad years with the good ones and learn from the bad years. It's also the small things that you start to love like team bonding or themed practices. You don't think that you'll start to miss the practices that make you feel like you're going to die, or the stress of the first competition of the season at all but those little things add up and make the season worth while. It's going to be a challenge to let go of such a big part of my life.

If you were to ask my mom if she'd do it all over again, she'd probably be torn. She's met a lot of her friends through cheer too, but I think that she's a bit more apprehensive about it due to my injury last year. I think she's enjoyed the competitions and trips all over the country just as much as I have. However, I wish that she didn't have to go through the injury with me because I know that it was difficult for her to deal with. If I could remove any of my time cheering, it would be that.

Would I do it all over again? Yes, in a heartbeat. I would do anything to start this roller coaster from the beginning. Even with the injuries and all. The bonds that I've shared with teammates and coaches, and the values that I've learned that can be applied to the rest of my life make it all worth it.

For those of you that have seasons left, enjoy them and make the most out of them. It's a bit over used, but you truly don't know
how important something is until it's gone.

I'd just like to say that I've genuinely enjoyed my time on the Boards. I joined back in 2009 when I really became a "cheer nerd" and I'm glad that I did it. I'm not much of a poster, but this has made the last few years even more enjoyable. Thank you everyone.
*Disclaimer: I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. Stress and lack of sleep due to the holidays = delirious FightTilTheEnd.

 

[Abbeycheer]

After having a love/hate relationship in gymnastics at a not very progressive gym I would replace those 9 years as a gymnast for cheerleading!

 

[Heather Mc]

No.

An intense, financially burdensome, time consuming, commit-every-minute-of-your-life, different activity? Yes. Allstar cheer? No.

Now that we've spent a year outside of cheer, I really see why my friends all say it's like a cult. Last year we missed it a lot. This year... I'm so happy we're not doing it anymore. For so many reasons: money, time, drama, and quite frankly I look at the direction cheer is heading and I am glad we bailed when we did.


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A couple of people have mentioned "the direction all-star cheer is heading" in this thread… what direction are you talking about? What do you find problematic with it? (This may be a whole other thread…"

 

[Heather Mc]

I did an open all star team back in 2000 with two 36 year olds. One needed a hip replacement after that season. Whomp

I'm on a parent team that really does take what we do seriously, but have a lot of fun at it too; so we're working on full ups and low-high switch libs, and trying to do cartwheels! I'm 42, and not the oldest on the team, either. Cheerleading doesn't have to end when you "age out," find an open or parent/adult team and just have the fun without the stress and drama!

 

[cupieqt]

I'm on a parent team that really does take what we do seriously, but have a lot of fun at it too; so we're working on full ups and low-high switch libs, and trying to do cartwheels! I'm 42, and not the oldest on the team, either. Cheerleading doesn't have to end when you "age out," find an open or parent/adult team and just have the fun without the stress and drama!

Lol it isn't the stunting that's the problem. Whip through to full on rickety knees is where it gets tricky!
But yes, I know a lot of former athletes that stick with it despite aging joints or simply because they've managed to stay in great shape (usually no kids or families to affect their training). Being on a parent team could be fun, if they did indeed take it seriously. Most of them are just for silly fun around here. No one is actually doing any legitimate skills.